Method and system for digital rights management of documents

ABSTRACT

A method and system for transmission of digital content via e-mail with point of use digital rights management is disclosed. The secured access rights to the digital content may be customized for individual recipients by the sender, and may evolve over time. The access rights are enforced according to a time-dependent scheme. A key server is used to arbitrate session keys for the encrypted content, eliminating the requirement to exchange public keys prior to transmission of the digital content. During the entire process of transmitting and receiving e-mail messages and documents, the exchange of cryptographic keys remains totally transparent to the users of the system. Additionally, electronic documents may be digitally signed with authentication of the signature.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates in general to securing transmittedelectronic documents and, more particularly, to enforcing a rightsmanagement policy on transmitted electronic documents.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Security of transmitted electronic documents has been the subject ofgreat attention in the data processing industry. The misuse ormisappropriation of confidential information is a serious threat toelectronic commerce. Even the perceived risk of insufficient integritywill render a data processing method unworthy for commercial use. Systemadministrators and service providers have been responsible for creatingpolicies and implementing procedures for ensuring the security of filestransferred over a network. The majority of security measures has beenfocused on controlling access to infrastructure, such as a networkdomain or a storage media. For example, securing documents sent bye-mail was primarily accomplished by restricting access to a givene-mail account. Another common method is to compress or encryptdocuments sent via e-mail. However, due to the unsecured nature ofe-mail, many forms of business and transactions are still not conductedusing e-mail messages and documents. Also, these kinds of policies donot have any effect on a user or a file after the document has beenreceived via e-mail and made available for further processing.

Therefore, newer security architectures have emphasized providingsecurity in the user environment at the application level, when thedocument is manipulated by the receiving party. Typically, point of usesecurity methods require global coverage of an IT system with thecorresponding installation of central tools and distributed agents. Thiskind of additional digital rights management infrastructure added to anIT system requires a large initial investment and significantadministration effort over time. A centralized system can also be veryinflexible and may not meet the specific needs of individualstakeholders. For example, if the system architecture requires thatevery document be registered with the authenticating server, then thesystem must rely upon the authenticating server for rights managementpolicies. Such an architecture is inherently limited to securingparticipants within the domain, which inherently limits the scope of thesecurity provided. Thus, there is a need for a simplified, decentralizedmethod for securing e-mail messages and documents at their point of use,that can be universally used by any recipient of an e-mail message.

A common problem of practicality when transmitting encrypted content isthat the sender and recipient are required to exchange keys in advanceof the actual transmission. If a sender wants to send an encrypteddocument securely to a recipient, prior art methods have required thatthe sender possess the public key of the recipient before the encryptedcontent is transmitted.

Another aspect of digital rights management that has yet to be addressedis the time-dependent nature of many usage rights policies. When thedigital rights to a document that already has been transmitted need tobe changed, prior art systems have not offered simple, transparentsolutions. For example, a frequent requirement in businesscommunications is the widespread distribution of documents in advance ofa specific date when such documents may be accessed by a large number ofrecipients. There has been no solution available that provides a robust,integrated, and automated solution to this common scenario.

Therefore, there is a need for a simple, flexible digital rightsmanagement system for transmitting documents and messages via e-mail,such that users may freely exchange encrypted data. The system should bedecentralized and enable flexible management of digital rights overtime, without requiring a global IT installation and additionaladministration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the foregoing needs by providing asolution with point of use digital rights management for transmission offiles via e-mail. The present invention utilizes a cryptocontainer,having a unique structure and properties, for packaging digital contentupon transmission via e-mail. The digital content may compriseelectronic documents and data files, or any other type of digital mediacontent. The sender of the secured documents configures thecryptocontainer using an authoring tool for generating and distributingcryptocontainers, whereby the authoring tool applies a public keybelonging to a key server. The authoring tool provides for assigningspecific access rights to individual documents that may very over time.The access rights may be customized for individual recipients of thecryptocontainer. Only after validated authorization and decryption maythe e-mail recipient of the cryptocontainer be granted their accessrights to specific content in the cryptocontainer.

The present invention additionally solves the problem of a senderwanting to send an encrypted document securely to a recipient, whosepublic key the sendor does not possess. The present invention employs akey server to deciper a session key for the encrypted content. Insteadof encrypting the session key for the recipient, the session key isencrypted for the key server. The key server authenticates the recipientindependently (from an authenticating entity) and releases the sessionkey to the recipient only after the recipient's authenticationcertificate is obtained.

The access rights are enforced according to the time-dependent schemedefined in the authoring tool of the cryptocontainer for that specificuser. During the entire process of transmitting and receiving e-mailmessages and documents, the exchange of cryptographic keys remainstotally transparent to the users of the system. There is no requirementthat senders and recipients manually exchange keys. The presentinvention provides additional security in that the transmitted contentof a cryptocontainer is only decrypted in a second decryption step, onlyafter an initial decryption has provided authentication of therecipient's identity. Otherwise, the transmitted content is notdecrypted. Senders of e-mail may be so assured that the digital contenttransmitted may only be received by an authorized user and may only befurther processed subject to the conditions of use as designated by thesender.

Additionally, the present invention provides for digitally signingelectronic documents with authentication of the signature. Theelectronic signature in the present invention relies upon and iscompliant with 15 U.S.C. §7001, ELECTRONIC RECORDS AND SIGNATURES INCOMMERCE, General Rule of Validity, of which subsection (a) recites:

15 U.S.C. § 7001. General rule of validity In general Notwithstandingany statute, regulation, or other rule of law (other than thissubchapter and subchapter II of this chapter), with respect to anytransaction in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce— a signature,contract, or other record relating to such transaction may not be deniedlegal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is inelectronic form; and a contract relating to such transaction may not bedenied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because anelectronic signature or electronic record was used in its formation.The intent of each signature may be further specified by the signingindividual with a text entry accompanying the signature.

In one example of the present invention, a marketing department may usethe usage rights timeline to make an upcoming brochure unavailable untila given date. On the given date only the recipients in the user groups“Internal Sales” and “Management” can have rights to view and print thebrochure. A week after “External Sales” is given rights to view anddistribute the brochure in “view only” form. Two-weeks later on thepre-determined release date the brochure can be freely distributed andprinted by its recipients.

In another example of the present invention, a financial service sendsan e-mail listing the latest quarterly earning reports of “ACME Company”to its distribution list 24-hours before its public release. The servicecompany utilizes the usage rights timeline to ensure that theinformation is disclosed to all of its recipients at the same time.Employees of the financial service are given permission to only view,but not distribute, the information some hours before its publicdisclosure. At the given pubic release time, the employees will be ableto freely distribute the “ACME Company” earnings report to members ofthe public.

Thus an object of the present invention is to enable the widespread andtransparent use of e-mail documents and messages for highly secureapplications.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for decryption ofcontent in a second step following an initial authentication ofrecipient on receipt of an e-mail message, and to deny decryption ofcontent in case the recipient cannot be authenticated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a secure mechanismfor digital rights management of documents transmitted over a networkusing a transactional authentication methodology for enforcement ofusage rights policies, such that access to a server is only required forinitiating access granted to secured documents.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism wherebysenders of secured e-mail messages may rely upon an e-mail address foridentifying an authenticated recipient, without the requirement ofcontacting the recipient or exchanging keys with the recipient inadvance of sending an e-mail message.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a means fordisplaying the security rating of an e-mail client over a given timeperiod.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means forassigning usage permissions to individuals and user groups of selectedindividuals.

A further object of the present invention is to provide time-dependentdigital rights for digital content transmitted via e-mail, such that theuser-specific rights may change or evolve as a function of elapsed time.

A further object of the present invention is to provide time-dependentdigital rights for digital content transmitted via e-mail, such that theuser-specific rights may be modified in response to actions by the userof the digital content or by third-parties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism fordigitally authenticating an electronic signature transmitted via e-mail.The electronic signature may be augmented with a text line where thesigner may specify the intent of the signature.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide for themigration and back-up of encrypted data and encryption tools to anotherphysical hardware platform.

Another object of the present invention is to prohibit the circumventionof restricted processing rights for digital content by using a hardwareoverlay technique for rendering the digital content visible on a displaydevice.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an audit trailof all documents sent and received using a secured e-mail transmissionsystem.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an encryption process in an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a decryption process in an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a display of a security rating of an e-mail client in anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface element for defining usagerights in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 5B illustrate graphical user interfaces for electronicsignatures in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6-12 illustrate a graphical user interface in an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates network components in one embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 14A-F illustrate a graphical user interface in an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forthsuch as specific word or byte lengths, etc. to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout such specific details. In other instances, well-known circuitshave been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure thepresent invention in unnecessary detail. For the most part, detailsconcerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuchas such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding ofthe present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinaryskill in the relevant art.

Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarilyshown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated bythe same reference numeral through the several views.

The present invention provides a solution with point of use digitalrights management for transmission of files via e-mail. The presentinvention utilizes a cryptocontainer, having a unique structure andproperties, for packaging digital content upon transmission via e-mail.The digital content may comprise electronic documents and data files, orany other type of digital media. Any reference herein to electronicdocuments, documents, files, messages, data, media, and other contentmay be used interchangeably and refers universally to digital contentwhich may be transmitted over a network or stored in a memory or storagedevice. The sender of the secured documents configures thecryptocontainer using an authoring tool for generating and distributingcryptocontainers, whereby the authoring tool applies a public keybelonging to an key server. The authoring tool provides for assigningspecific access rights, which may vary over time, to individualdocuments. The access rights may be customized for individual recipientsof the cryptocontainer. Only after validated authorization anddecryption may the e-mail recipient be granted access rights to specificcontent in the cryptocontainer.

In FIG. 13, network components in one embodiment of the presentinvention are illustrated. A sending platform 320 runs the authoringtool and is operated by the author. The author creates acryptocontainer, symbolized by 325, and sends it via e-mail to therecipient operating the receiving platform 321, which runs the viewingtool. A server 330 may provide services to the sending platform 320 orto the receiving platform 321. The server 330 may represent a public webserver that both platforms 320, 321 may connect to via the Internet. Inone embodiment, the server 330 is a public web server for accessing theauthoring tool or the viewing tool as web services. The server 330 mayrely upon an key server 340 to perform the operations of the presentinvention. In one embodiment, the server 330 and key server 340represent network services that are executed on a single physicalplatform, such that servers 330 and key server 340 are combined into asingle entity. The key server 340 may rely upon an authenticating server350 for authenticating e-mail addresses of authors and recipients ofcryptocontainers 325. The authentication server 350 may be operated by athird-party as a public commercial service for authenticating users viae-mail addresses for clients.

Referring to FIG. 1, a process 115, 120 for sending encrypted contentaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inflow chart form, from begin 101 to end 150. An initial configurationprocess 115 must be performed before the authoring and sending process120 may be executed, if not previously carried out, according to adetermination 110. In one example of practicing the present invention,the entire procedure of 115 may be omitted after one instance ofinstallation 115 has been performed. In another example, thedetermination if the authoring tool is installed 110 may result ineither steps 111 and 122, singly or in combination, being executed forthe purpose of updating a prior installation or recertifying a priorauthentication.

The installation of the authoring tool 111 comprises all actionsrequired for obtaining an installable, licensed version of the authoringtool, for performing an installation, and for configuring an authoringtool for use on a given sending platform 320. The installation step 111may also include steps for verifying the network connection of thesending platform 320, comprising configuration of hardware and softwarecomponents, such that an e-mail service is made bi-directionallyoperational on the sending platform. Additionally, step 111 may alsoencompass communicating with an key server 340 for obtaining orvalidating the key server's public key, which is used by the authoringtool on the sending platform 320. In one example, installation 111 ofthe authoring tool is performed by installing the authoring tool as anapplication to be executed on the sending platform 320. In anotherexample, installation 111 of the authoring tool is performed byactivating a license to use the authoring tool as web service to beexecuted on an Internet server 330.

The author is an individual who operates the authoring tool on thesending platform 320 for creating, modifying, and distributingcryptocontainers 325, containing electronic documents and digital data.The author is also the individual who assigns the usage rights 128 foreach document in the cryptocontainer 325. The author is therefore theauthor and also the sender of the cryptocontainer 325, however, noassumption is made herein as to the authoring of the actual digitalcontent transmitted in the cryptocontainer 325 in various embodiments ofthe present invention.

The step of authenticating an author 122 may be performed by the keyserver 340 on the basis of the author's e-mail address from anauthenticating server 350. The key server 340 creates a user license forthe author, signs the author's license and public key with the keyserver's private key, and stores this as a hash value for authenticatingmessages from the author (step 122). In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the authoring tool may be installed for use by the author ona sending platform 320, such as a computer system, such that theauthentication of the author 122 involves sending a hardwarefingerprint, which identifies the sending platform, to the key server340 for authentication by an authenticating server 350. The hardwarefingerprint may comprise the following information unique to thecomputer on which the authoring tool is installed: BIOS version number,video card BIOS creation date, primary HDD serial number, MAC address ofa network adapter. In another example, the hardware fingerprint maycomprise a unique identifier of the CPU, main system board, or othercomponent of the sending platform computer 320.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the authoring tool maybe installed on server 330 and used as a web service in an Internetbrowser, such that the authentication of the author 122 relies upon aunique biometric identification of the author that is sent to the keyserver 340 for authentication by an authentication server 350. In oneexample a biometric USB device installed on a public computer system maybe used by the author for generating the unique biometricidentification. The biometric identification is used by the key server340 to obtain the author's license from the authenticating server 350 inthe same manner as the hardware fingerprint. In another example ofpracticing the present invention, the authoring tool is integrated as anadditional feature in a standard e-mail client program.

After the installation steps 115 have been completed at least oncewithout error, the process in 120 may be repeated as required to send aplurality of secured e-mail messages containing cryptocontainers 325.According to another embodiment of the present invention, installationof the authoring tool 111 may also comprise the transferring (ormigration) of an existing installation of a working version of theauthoring tool from a previous sending platform to the current sendingplatform 320. The transferring (or migration) may include all existingdata and archived documents along with the necessary re-validation andre-authentication (as in 122) on the current sending platform 320.

The sending process is illustrated by the process steps 120 in FIG. 1.Upon authentication 122 by an authenticating server 350, the author isgranted full access to the authoring tool on the sending platform 320 bythe key server 340. One first step may be entry of the recipient list124. Individual recipients may be assigned membership to one or moreuser groups 610, 613 (see FIG. 6), which may be used for managing usagerights for each document in the cryptocontainer 325. After entry of therecipient list, the author may add the digital content to thecryptocontainer 325 by selecting the required files 125. In 127 theauthor may also optionally choose to electronically sign certaindocuments (see FIGS. 5 and 12). The authoring tool generates a symmetricsession key 126 for each cryptocontainer 325. In the recipient listsection of the cryptocontainer 325, a session key and a list ofrecipients' e-mail addresses is recorded. This entire section of thecryptocontainer 325 is encrypted not for the recipients but for the keyserver 340. The key server's public key is used to encrypt the recipientlist section using asymmetric encryption. In alternative embodiments ofthe sending process 120, the order of the steps 124-127 may berearranged to accommodate a flexible workflow. The order of the steps124-127 is generally not constrained by the authoring tool.

For each document and recipient, a usage rights timeline may be definedby the author in step 128. The usage rights timeline gives an author theability to set usage permissions on digital content (digital rightsmanagement controls, see FIG. 4) which evolve in accordance with time orspecific actions. In its simplest form, the usage rights timeline can beused to deny access to files on a specific time and date. In its fulluse, the usage rights timeline can be used to quickly set complex usagepermission structures that change with time. Using the usage rightstimeline, authors can create keyframes 1110 (see FIG. 11), which aresets of predefined rights states that exist for a specified period oftime. Different usage permissions can be applied to each keyframe 1110,enabling usage states to evolve in a pre-determined fashion. The usagerights timeline is enforced by the viewing tool, installed in process220 (see FIG. 2).

After the author determines the recipients, content, and usage rightsfor the cryptocontainer 325, encryption 130 is performed by theauthoring tool. During encryption 130 of the cryptocontainer 325, therecipient list section and the content payload are encrypted separatelywith different session keys. The session keys are encrypted with thepublic key of a the key server 340. In one embodiment of the currentinvention, the key server 340 is maintained by a service provider whoalso provides the license for the authoring tool on the sending platform320, and public access rights to the key server 340 are restricted tolicense holders of the authoring tool. In another embodiment, theviewing tool is distributed freely to the public, including accessrights to the key server 340 for viewing documents sent incryptocontainers 325 according to their assigned usage rights.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each individual operationperformed on a cryptocontainer 325, such as obtaining a session licensefrom an authorizing server or adding a document for viewing or printingencrypted in the cryptocontainer 325, is recorded in a log which mayserve as an audit trail 131 for reconstructing events that occurredinvolving the cryptocontainer 325. The audit trail 131 may also includeeach time that usage rights keyframes 1110 were defined and the filesand recipients to which those keyframes 1110 were assigned.

The final step in the sending process 120 is transmitting thecryptocontainer 325 via e-mail 132. The cryptocontainer 325 may be sent132 with an standard e-mail client program from the sender to eachrecipient on the recipient list. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the authentication process requires the author to use thecomputer that has been certified from the key server 340 for theauthor's sending e-mail address. In another example, a biometricidentification has been performed to authenticate the sender, which inturn, permits the sender to work on any suitable public sending platform320. In one case, the sender may use a unique biometric identificationwith a web service version of the authoring tool on the sending platform320. The transmission of the cryptocontainer from the sending platform320 may be performed with any wired or wireless network connection thatsupports e-mail transmission. In one example, the sending platform is ahandheld wireless device that provides a suitable e-mail client service.In another example, the cryptocontainer may be sent to an intermediary,from where the cryptocontainer is further distributed to the recipientson the recipient list.

Referring to FIG. 2, a process 220 for receiving encrypted contentaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inflow chart form, from begin 201 to end 250. An initial configurationprocess 215 must be performed before the receiving process 220 may beexecuted, if not previously carried out, according to a determination210. In one example of practicing the present invention, the entireprocedure of 215 may be omitted after one instance of installation 215has been performed. In another example, the determination if the viewingtool is installed 210 may result in either steps 211 and 222, singly orin combination, being executed for the purpose of updating a priorinstallation or recertifying a prior authentication.

The installation of the viewing tool 211 comprises all actions requiredfor obtaining an installable, licensed version of the viewing tool, forperforming the installation, and for configuring the viewing tool foruse on a given receiving platform 321. The installation step 211 mayalso include steps for verifying the network connection of the receivingplatform 321, comprising configuration of hardware and softwarecomponents, such that an e-mail service is made bi-directionallyoperational on the receiving platform. In one example, installation 211of the viewing tool is performed by installing the viewing tool as anapplication to be executed on the receiving platform 321. In anotherexample, installation 211 of the viewing tool is performed by activatinga license to use the viewing tool as service executed on web server 330in a web browser, whereby the web browser is used to access a web e-mailclient. Next, authentication of the recipient 222 is performed by thekey server 340 using an authentication server 350.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the viewing tool isinstalled for use by the recipient on a receiving platform 321, such asa computer system, such that the authentication of the recipient 222involves sending a hardware fingerprint, which identifies the sendingplatform 321, to the key server 340 for authentication by anauthenticating server 350. Step 222 may encompass communicating with ankey server 340 for validating the recipient's identity and transmittinga passport certificate, obtained from an authenticating server 350,identifying the recipient's computer (with a hardware fingerprint) andregistering the recipient's computer passport and e-mail address.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the viewing tool may beinstalled on the web server 330 and used as a web service in an Internetbrowser, such that the authentication of the recipient 222 relies upon aunique biometric identification that is sent to the key server 340 forauthentication by an authenticating server 350. In one example, therecipient may use a web mail service to access a primary e-mail accountheld by the recipient, whereby a biometric USB device is installed on apublic computer system used by the recipient for generating thebiometric identification. The unique biometric identification is used bythe authenticating server 350 to generate the recipient's license in thesame manner as the hardware fingerprint. In another example ofpracticing the present invention, the viewing tool is integrated as anadditional feature in a standard e-mail client program.

In one example of the present invention, after the installation 215 hasbeen completed once without error, the process in 220 may be repeated asrequired to receive a plurality of secured e-mail messages on thereceiving platform 321. According to another embodiment of the presentinvention, installation of the viewing tool 211 may also comprise thetransferring (or migration) of an existing installation of a workingversion of the viewing tool from a previous receiving platform to acurrent receiving platform 321. The transferring (or migration) mayinclude all existing data and archived documents and be accompanied witha required re-validation and re-authentication (as in 222) on thecurrent receiving platform 321.

In FIG. 2, the core receiving process is illustrated by the processsteps 220. The entire receiving process in FIG. 2 is triggered byreceipt of the cryptocontainer 325 via e-mail 205 by the recipient. Notethat the recipient is not required to be in possession of any publickeys. If the recipient is not authenticated and no viewing tool isinstalled, the installation process 215 will automatically be triggeredupon accessing the cryptocontainer 325. This process requires only astandard e-mail client. If the recipient is authenticated and a viewingtool is installed, process 220 may be initiated.

The authentication step 222 may be precluded to some extent when arecipient already possesses a valid public key. This preauthenticationbegins when the viewing tool sends a certificate that authenticates therecipient to the key server 340 from the sending platform 321. In onecase, an acceptable certificate is signed by an authentication server350 and contains the recipient's e-mail address. This is taken as validproof by the key server 340, that at some point in the past, the processhas taken place by which the recipient had obtained that certificate andthere is confidence that it could only have been obtained from a knownauthentication server 350. If the key server 340 receives a certificatefor a recipient containing a public key and an e-mail address that issigned by a known authenticating server 340, then the recipient'sidentity is considered authentic. The recipient is preauthenticated byissuing the certificate. When the recipient actually contacts the keyserver 340 for a session key, reauthenticate is not required.

As a first step in process 220, a decryption of the recipient list 224is performed. Step 224 begins with the author's public key, signed bythe server's private key, being sent to the key server 340 by theviewing tool from the receiving platform 321. Then the encryptedrecipient list and session keys are sent to the key server 340 by theviewing tool from the receiving platform 321. The recipient list isdecrypted 224 by the key server 340. Next, the key server 340 compares226 the recipient's identity with the recipient list of thecryptocontainer 325. If there is no match, then the recipient is deniedaccess 230 to the cryptocontainer 325 by the key server 340 and nofurther action may be taken by the recipient on the cryptocontainer 325.The denial of access 230 is enforced by the viewing tool on thereceiving platform 321. In this case 230, no session key is issued tothe recipient by the key server 340 for the cryptocontainer 325. If therecipient does match the recipient list, then the key server 340 willissue 228 a session license for the recipient to open the contents ofthe cryptocontainer 325 on the receiving platform 321. In step 228, thekey server 340 re-encrypts the session keys with the recipient's publickey and sends the re-encrypted session keys back to the recipient'sviewing tool on the receiving platform 321. The recipient's viewing toolreceives the re-encrypted session keys and the decrypts them only whenthey are required to access a particular file in the cryptocontainer325. The recipient may now decrypt and access 232 the content in thecryptocontainer 325 on the receiving platform 321. However, arecipient's access to individual documents may further be restricted bya usage rights timeline that is used to enforce 234 the policies inindividual keyframes applicable to the recipient. If the content isclosed by the recipient, the steps in process 220 may be repeated foreach access to the cryptocontainer 325 on the receiving platform 321.

The usage rights timeline is enforced 234 by the viewing tool, installedin process 211. When the recipient opens a cryptocontainer 325, theviewing tool checks the time from a local time source or from a securedInternet time server. The viewing tool then enforces the rights schema234 as designated by the content author using the usage rights timelinefor the current time. As long as the viewing tool is active, itperiodically checks the time and enforces the usage rights 234 for thegiven time. In one example, a secured time server is the primary timesource and a secondary, local time source is used only when the primarytime source is unavailable, thereby ensuring enforcements of rightsschema 234, regardless if a network connection is maintained or not bythe receiving platform 321.

One particularly unique aspect of the enforcement 234 of usage rights inprocess 220 is the use of a hardware-overlay technique for displayingsecured documents. The viewing tool may use hardware overlay to renderfiles directly from video hardware rather than by using softwarerendering. The advantage of this approach is that it helps to defeatmany popular screen-capture products in a relatively simple fashion. Inone embodiment of the present invention, during enforcement of usagerights 234, each individual operation performed on a cryptocontainer325, such as obtaining a session license from an authorizing server oropening a document for viewing or printing encrypted in thecryptocontainer 325, is recorded in a log which may serve as an audittrail 235 for reconstructing events that occurred involving thecryptocontainer 325. The audit trail 235 may also include each time thecontent was accessed and each time access to the cryptocontainer 325 wasdenied 230 or each time usage rights were restricted 234.

Of particular significance is the transactional nature of theinvolvement of the authentication server 350 and the key server 340 inprocesses 120 and 220. The transactional authentication methodology, asdescribed in the embodiments of the present invention illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, limits the involvement of the authentication server 350and the key server 340 to a minimum, which, in turn, serves to make theentire system very flexible and efficient. In the sending process 120,there is no requirement for the key server 340 to participate once anauthor has been authenticated by an authentication server 350 in 122.The receiving process 220 requires active participation from the keyserver 340 only for discrete steps 224, 226, and 228 upon receipt of thecryptocontainer 325, once a recipient has been authenticated by anauthentication server 350 in 222. Of particular importance in certainembodiments of the present invention is that the enforcement of usagerights timeline policies is performed by the viewing tool on thereceiving platform 321, and does not require any involvement by the keyserver 340. This unique feature of the present invention enableswidespread distribution and use of secured digital rights management fore-mail documents by providing a practical and efficient architecture.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a display 300 of the security rating of ane-mail client is shown. The display 300 shows the values of the totalnumber of e-mail messages sent as well as the number of those that weresecured items. The values may be reset after a time period has elapsed.The display 300 also shows a ratio of the secured items sent. In oneexample, the percentage of secured items sent is used to calculate asecurity rating.

In FIG. 4, a graphical user interface element 400 is illustrated fordefining usage rights in an embodiment of the present invention. Theinterface panel permits the definition of usage rights for specificfiles. Usage rights are presented in one example of a graphical userinterface in a spreadsheet format 410 with files 411 on the left sideand the usage rights 412 related to a specific data element 413 selectedon the top. Tabs are used to toggle between the different data elements413: Files, Folders, User Groups, Signature Lines and Containers. Theexemplary user interface 400 is shown with the tab data element 413(Files 411) selected. To allow a particular usage right 412, a check isentered in the associated box. The interface 400 provides the ability toassign a wide variety of usage rights 412 to files, folders, usergroups, signature lines and the cryptocontainer 325 itself. In oneexample, the usage rights for files comprise: viewing, printing, export,delete, item visible, show thumbnail, rename, move. In one example, theusage rights for folders comprise: folder visible, delete, export,rename, file visible, move, open. In one example, the usage rights forfolders comprise: folder visible, delete, export, rename, file visible,move, open.

In FIG. 5, a graphical user interface 500 is illustrated for electronicsignatures in an embodiment of the present invention. The electronicsignature for a given document 511 may include an additional qualifierfor the signature as a text field 510. In one example the purpose of thesignature may be entered in this text field. In another example, thesigner may choose from a predefined list of signature qualifiers. Theelectronic signature in the present invention relies upon and iscompliant with 15 U.S.C. §7001. In FIG. 5B, a confirmation panel 550 isillustrated of a valid electronic signature. The purpose and terms ofthe signature 552 are shown along with the e-mail address of the signee551, and the document 511 for which the signature is valid.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface 600 of an authoring toolin a default state in an embodiment of the present invention. Theauthoring tool is used to construct and distribute a cryptocontainer325. At the top, the authenticated e-mail address 614 of the author isshown. This is the sending e-mail address of the cryptocontainer 325.The panel 600 is the basic screen where all common tasks are performedin the authoring tool. To the left panels User Groups 610, 613, Files611, and Signatures 612 can be added. The Files panel 611 displays thefiles to be protected and in panel 611 each file is identified by afilename and a filepath or network location path to that filename, suchthat the aggregate filepath identifying the file is unique and valid.The Signatures panel 612 displays any electronic signatures that havebeen performed on specific files in 611 by the author. The mainworkspace is defined by tabs which indicate the currently selected UserGroup 610, 613. In the default state, only Authors and Recipients aredefined as User Groups 610, 613. Within a single user group, for exampleas shown in 600, Recipients, the list of authorized recipients withinthe selected User Group may be listed in the Group Members 615 panel.The permissions panel 616 corresponds to the usage rights user interface400 in FIG. 4. Below, the Rights Timeline panel 617 indicates the timespan to which the selected permissions apply. Each element in panel 617is a keyframe in the usage rights timeline.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical user interface 700 of an authoring toolduring entry of files 710 to a cryptocontainer 325 in an embodiment ofthe present invention. Files 710 may be added to Files panel 611 usingthe Import File or Import Folder button, or by dragging and droppingover panel 611. When the author saves the cryptocontainer, the fileswill be securely encrypted inside a cryptocontainer 325. The permissionspanel 616 displays each individual file 710 as a separate line item 711.The permissions panel 616 corresponds to the usage rights user interface400 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical user interface 800 of an authoring toolduring entry of recipients 810 to a cryptocontainer 325 in an embodimentof the present invention. The list of recipient e-mail addresses 810 maybe entered in the group members panel 615. This ensures that the files710, 711 will be seen only by recipients 810 that are approved by theauthor.

FIG. 9 illustrates a graphical user interface 900 of an authoring toolduring entry of user groups 613 to a cryptocontainer 325 in anembodiment of the present invention. Recipients 810 can be categorizedinto groups 613, which are created in the, User Groups panel 610.Sorting recipients 810 into user groups 613 enables advanced control ofusage rights 412 for each group 613.

FIG. 10 illustrates a graphical user interface 1000 of an authoring toolduring assignment of user rights 412 for user groups 613 in acryptocontainer 325 in an embodiment of the present invention. Aftersorting recipients 810 into user groups 613, each user group 613 can beassigned different user rights 412 to individual files 710, 711. Thispermits cryptocontainer 325 files to be sent to multiple recipients 810who have different usage rights 412.

FIG. 11 illustrates a graphical user interface 1100 of an authoring toolduring assignment of user rights 412 over time in a cryptocontainer 325in an embodiment of the present invention. For files 710 that are timesensitive, individual keyframes 1110 in the Rights Timeline panel 617define the exact days, hours, and seconds that files 710 may beaccessed. The Rights Timeline panel 617 indicates the time span to whichthe selected usage rights 412 apply. Each element in panel 617 is akeyframe 1100 in the usage rights timeline.

FIG. 12 illustrates a graphical user interface 1200 of an authoring toolperforming an electronic signature 511 in a cryptocontainer 325 in anembodiment of the present invention. The signature panel 500 enables theauthor to electronically sign 511 individual files 710 in thecryptocontainer 325. The electronic signature in the present inventionrelies upon and is compliant with 15 U.S.C. §7001.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the functionality of theauthoring tool may be adapted for a quick method for creating acryptocontainer from within a host application. As illustrated in FIGS.14A and 14B, an adapted version of the authoring tool is accessible viaa user interface toolbar 1402. This toolbar automates the inclusion allof cryptocontainer data elements that are required for configuring thecryptocontainer to be accessible by authorized recipients. Thecryptocontainer data elements from the toolbar comprise: email addressesof the intended recipients 1405, data files 1407, usage permissions 1411and timeline settings 1412.

In FIG. 14A, one embodiment of the toolbar interface 1402 is shown as anadd-in feature 1400 to a commercially available host e-mail clientprogram (Outlook® by Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash.). The recipientlist 1405 and data files 1407 are entered directly in the hostapplication and are copied automatically by the toolbar interface 1402.A rights template 1411 may be selected along with the timeline settings1412 for the selected rights. The process of creating and sending thecryptocontainer is executed by a single user command button 1410.

In FIG. 14B, an embodiment of the toolbar interface 1402 is shown as anadd-in feature 1401 to a commercially available host document processingprogram (Word by Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash.). In this example, thetoolbar interface 1402 assumes that the document 1415 being processed bythe host application comprises the digital content to be sent. A rightstemplate 1411 may be selected along with the timeline settings 1412 forthe selected rights. The process of creating and sending thecryptocontainer is triggered by the user command button 1410. Therecipient list may be entered into a dialog panel.

In FIG. 14C, a simplified timeline entry dialog 1403 is illustrated. Thetimeline 1412 is specified for a given rights profile 1411 and is storedwith the rights profile 1411. The simplified timeline 1403 comprisesthree keyframes. The first keyframe 1417 is “Do Not Open Until” andrepresents the activation time for the data files in thecryptocontainer. The second keyframe is the viewing keyframe (not shown)between the first 1417 and third 1418 keyframes and represents the usageperiod by the recipient. The third keyframe 1418 is “Expire After” andrepresent the expiration date of the usage rights in the profile 1411.

The toolbar interface 1402 allows authors retrieve usage permissionsfrom a pre-defined template. The process for generating a pre-definedtemplate using the authoring tool (see FIGS. 14D-14F) is separate fromthe standard cryptocontainer creation process, as previously describedabove. An author may select a pre-defined rights profile templatedirectly from a drop-down menu 1411 in the toolbar interface 1402. Inone example, the toolbar interface 1402 comprises default rightstemplates for “View Only” and “Encrypt Only” access to thecryptocontainer.

The toolbar interface 1402 may exist as a plug-in to a host softwareapplication 1401 or to an e-mail client 1400 that provides for theaddition of third party plug-ins. The toolbar interface 1402 may be usedwith a web mail e-mail client or with a locally installed e-mail clientprogram. In one embodiment of the toolbar interface 1402, a single mouseclick (on button 1410) may suffice for creating a cryptocontainer, forassigning access rights to documents sent with a cryptocontainer, andfor sending a cryptocontainer within an e-mail application program. Inanother example, from host application programs such as document,spreadsheet or graphic applications, the author may be required to enterthe e-mail addresses of the recipients before the cryptocontainer iscreated. In that case, the toolbar interface 1402 may assume that theauthor is attempting to send the current document 1415 being processedin the host application in a cryptocontainer. When the appropriatebutton 1410 on the toolbar interface is clicked, the requiredcryptocontainer elements are retrieved by the host application programthat the toolbar interface 1402 resides in. In one example, a “Sendsecure” button 1410 represents the toolbar interface 1402 in a hostapplication, as illustrated in FIGS. 14A and 14B. The source of therequired cryptocontainer elements may comprise the following items:

1. E-mail Client Host Applications 1400

-   -   a. Recipients list is gathered from the e-mail addresses 1405        entered in the “to:”, “cc:”, and “bcc:” fields;    -   b. Files are gathered from the “File Attachments” field 1407        and/or the email message body and are included in the        cryptocontainer as separate files which can be assigned usage        rights;    -   c. Usage permissions are gathered from the template chosen in        the toolbar interface 1402 drop-down menu 1411; and    -   d. Timeline rights are gathered from time and date data entered        into a dialog window 1403 by the author. The data elements        provided are “Do not open until” and “Expires on”. When complete        these elements create 3 keyframes that will be applied to the        cryptocontainer elements 1405, 1407.

2. Other Host Applications 1401

-   -   a. Recipients list is gathered from the e-mail addresses entered        by the author from a prompted dialog window interface.    -   b. Files comprise the current document(s) 1415 that the author        is processing in the host application. The author may be        prompted to save the current document(s) 1415 before inclusion        in the cryptocontainer.    -   c. Usage permissions are gathered from the template chosen in        the toolbar drop-down menu 1411 by the author.    -   d. Timeline rights are gathered from time and date data 1412        entered into a dialog window by the author.

In one embodiment of the toolbar interface 1402, all recipients areincluded into the same User Group. Also, included files 1407, 1415 maybe assigned usage rights according to the chosen template setting 1411(i.e. View Only, Encrypt Only). Timeline rights 1412 may be assigned toany rights template 1411. In another example embodiment of the toolbarinterface 1402, the creation of rights timeline templates 1411, whereinthe times and dates of settings are relative to the date and time theyare applied, may be specified and stored in advance. For example, anauthor may create a plurality of keyframes, each with a set ofassociated rights. When saved in advance as a template 1411, only therelative difference to an arbitrary start time for each starting andending times of each keyframe is stored, thereby allowing authors tocreate complex usage scenarios that may be rapidly retrieved and reusedon demand at any time in the future.

As basic examples of rights templates 1411, “View Only” and “EncryptOnly” may be pre-defined as default selections for rights templates 1411in the toolbar interface 1402. The “View Only” template (see FIGS.14D-14F) may have the following rights enabled: View, Item Visible andShow Thumbnails. The “Encrypt Only” template may have the followingrights enabled: View, Item Visible, Show Thumbnails and Extract. In oneexample, the “Encrypt Only” template merely assures the safetransmission of the files between the sender (i.e. the author of thecryptocontainer) and the recipient, without applying further usagerights that are enforced by the viewing tool.

Users may additionally create new rights templates by operating theauthoring tool and choosing a selected rights schema within the UsagePermissions window. In FIG. 14D, a template entry is illustrated for the“Do Not Open Until” keyframe 1417, 1420 (see FIG. 14C) in the “ViewOnly” rights profile template 1411. As reflected in the firstcryptocontainer keyframe 1417, 1420, Item Visible and Show Thumbnailsare the only enabled rights 1421. In FIG. 14E, a template entry isillustrated for the viewing keyframe 1425 in the “View Only” rightsprofile template 1411. As reflected in the second cryptocontainerkeyframe 1425, Item Visible, Show Thumbnails and Viewing are the onlyenabled rights 1426. In FIG. 14E, a template entry is illustrated forthe “Expire After” keyframe 1418, 1430 (see FIG. 14C) in the “View Only”rights profile template 1411. As reflected in the third cryptocontainerkeyframe 1418, 1430, Item Visible and Show Thumbnails are the onlyenabled rights 1431.

The author may then select the “Save as Template” command in theauthoring tool, whereby the chosen rights schema will then be saved as atemplate that automatically populates the toolbar interface drop-downmenu 1411. The rights template exists as a unique entity independent ofthe other cryptocontainer elements to which it will be applied. In oneexample embodiment of a rights template, an author may choose to createa template entitled “View & Print,” which would allow recipients rightsonly for viewing and printing files in the cryptocontainer (but notforwarding, editing, copying, etc.). Other templates may be created withany combination of user rights and timeline settings as required.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A method for transmitting electronic documents over a communicationsnetwork, wherein digital rights of access for each of said electronicdocuments are cryptographically managed and secured, comprising:installing an authoring tool for generating and distributingcryptocontainers comprising said electronic documents, wherein saidauthoring tool includes a public key belonging to a key server and apublic key belonging to said authoring tool; authenticating an author ofa cryptocontainer with a certificate issued by an authenticating server,wherein an author license is created and stored with said authoringtool, and wherein said author license comprises an e-mail address ofsaid author and said public key belonging to said authoring tool, signedby a private key belonging to said key server; entering an e-mailaddress for each of a plurality of recipients into a recipient list ofsaid cryptocontainer in said authoring tool; generating a symmetricsession key for said recipient list; encrypting said symmetric sessionkey for said recipient list in said cryptocontainer together with saidpublic key belonging to said key server; adding said electronicdocuments to said cryptocontainer, wherein for each recipient on saidrecipient list a usage rights timeline is generated for each of saidelectronic documents; encrypting said cryptocontainer comprising saidsymmetric session key for said recipient list, together with saidelectronic documents, and together with each of said usage rightstimelines, wherein said cryptocontainer enables said symmetric sessionkey for said recipient list to be individually decrypted from saidcryptocontainer; and transmitting said cryptocontainer over acommunications network to each of said plurality of recipients in saidrecipient list of said cryptocontainer.
 2. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein said usage rights timeline comprises keyframes fordigital rights management for each of said electronic documents in saidcryptocontainer, wherein each of said keyframes comprises individualentries for granting rights for opening, copying, viewing, printing,exporting, deleting, making visible, showing thumbnails, renaming,forwarding, attaching, and moving each of said electronic documents insaid cryptocontainer for a certain period in time.
 3. The method asrecited in claim 1, further comprising: signing a plurality of saidelectronic documents added to said cryptocontainer by said author usinga digital signature, wherein the intent of said digital signature isspecified in text form using a Signature Line entry.
 4. The method asrecited in claim 1, further comprising: notifying said author of thesecurity rating of an e-mail client over a given time period, whereinsaid security rating comprises a ratio of a number of securely sentitems to a total number of sent items.
 5. The method as recited in claim1, wherein a recipient is assigned membership to a user group, whereinsaid user group is selected for generating said usage permissiontemplate for each of said electronic documents.
 6. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein said author license comprises an e-mail address ofsaid author and a hardware fingerprint encrypted together with saidpublic key of said key server signed by a private key of said keyserver.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said author licensecomprises an e-mail address of said author and a biometricidentification encrypted together with said public key of said keyserver signed by a private key of said key server.
 8. The method asrecited in claim 1, further comprising: recording a timestamped log ofeach individual operation performed on said cryptocontainer.
 9. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein said authoring tool is a networkapplication executed as a service by a network server.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein said usage rights timelines are predefinedand stored as a template for retrieving a set of usage rights forapplying to a cryptocontainer.
 11. A method for receiving electronicdocuments over a communications network, wherein digital rights ofaccess for each of said electronic documents are cryptographicallymanaged and secured, comprising: receiving via e-mail a cryptocontainercomprising a plurality of electronic documents by a recipient;installing a viewing tool from a public network server for accessingsaid plurality of electronic documents within said cryptocontainer;opening a secured connection with a key server and authenticating theidentity of said recipient with a certificate issued by anauthenticating server; comparing the identity of said recipient witheach of a plurality of recipients listed in said cryptocontainer by saidkey server, and in case of a match, issuing a one-time license todecrypt a symmetric session key for said cryptocontainer to saidrecipient by said key server, and in case of no match, denying access tosaid recipient to said cryptocontainer.
 12. The method as recited inclaim 11, wherein said authenticating the identity of said recipient isperformed using a hardware fingerprint together with said e-mail addressof said recipient.
 13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein saidauthenticating the identity of said recipient is performed using abiometric identifier together with said e-mail address of saidrecipient.
 14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said viewingtool is a network application executed as a service by a network server.15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:decrypting said symmetric session key for said cryptocontainer with saidlicense; and decrypting and accessing said plurality of electronicdocuments by said recipient from said cryptocontainer.
 16. The method asrecited in claim 15, wherein a usage rights timeline, comprisingindividual keyframes, retrieved from said cryptocontainer forrestricting the rights of said recipient is individually enforced bysaid viewing tool for each of said plurality of electronic documentsaccessed by said recipient over the time period for which said keyframesin said usage rights timeline have been defined.
 17. The method asrecited in claim 15, further comprising: recording a timestamped log ofeach individual operation performed on said cryptocontainer.
 18. Acomputer program product comprising a computer-usable medium havingcomputer-readable code embodied therein, the computer-readable codedadapted to be executed to implement a method for transmitting electronicdocuments over a communications network, wherein digital rights ofaccess for each of said electronic documents are cryptographicallymanaged and secured, the method comprising: installing an authoring toolfor generating and distributing cryptocontainers comprising saidelectronic documents, wherein said authoring tool includes a public keybelonging to a key server and a public key belonging to said authoringtool; authenticating an author of a cryptocontainer with a certificateissued by an authenticating server, wherein an author license is createdand stored with said authoring tool, and wherein said author licensecomprises an e-mail address of said author and said public key belongingto said authoring tool, signed by a private key belonging to said keyserver; entering an e-mail address for each of a plurality of recipientsinto a recipient list of said cryptocontainer in said authoring tool;generating a symmetric session key for said recipient list; encryptingsaid symmetric session key for said recipient list in saidcryptocontainer together with said public key belonging to said keyserver; adding said electronic documents to said cryptocontainer,wherein for each recipient on said recipient list a usage rightstimeline is generated for each of said electronic documents; encryptingsaid cryptocontainer comprising said symmetric session key for saidrecipient list, together with said electronic documents, and togetherwith each of said usage rights timelines, wherein said cryptocontainerenables said symmetric session key for said recipient list to beindividually decrypted from said cryptocontainer; and transmitting saidcryptocontainer over a communications network to each of said pluralityof recipients in said recipient list of said cryptocontainer.
 19. Thecomputer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein said usagerights timeline comprises keyframes for digital rights management foreach of said electronic documents in said cryptocontainer, wherein eachof said keyframes comprises individual entries for granting rights foropening, copying, viewing, printing, exporting, deleting, makingvisible, showing thumbnails, renaming, forwarding, attaching, and movingeach of said electronic documents in said cryptocontainer for a certainperiod in time.
 20. The computer program product as recited in claim 18,further the method comprising: signing a plurality of said electronicdocuments added to said cryptocontainer by said author using a digitalsignature, wherein the intent of said digital signature is specified intext form using a Signature Line entry. 21-41. (canceled)